Waterproof mail-carriage



B. B. PLEASANTS.

Carriage.

Patented Dec. 7. 1837.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BASIL B. PLEASANTS, OF BROOKVILLE, MARYLAND.

' WATERPROOF MAIL-CARRIAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 509, dated December '7, 1837.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BASIL B. PLEASANTS, of Brookville, in the county ofMontgomery and State of Maryland, have invented certain improvements in the mode of constructing mail wagons or carriages so as to protect the mail from the weather or from being injured by submersion in water; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof.

I make the body-of the carriage, or wagon cylindrical, or nearly so, and, construct it of metal, or of straight pieces of wood, or staves, which are bound together by strong hoops of iron. There is a strong head let in at each end of the cylinder, in the manner of barrel heads, and on the outsides of these heads I form suitable receptacles for the way mail, and for the baggage of the passengers. On the upper part of the cylinder I make an opening which is provided with a door, properly secured by hinges on two sides thereof, and rendered water tight when closed by surrounding the edge of the opening with india rubber, or other suitable material prepared for that purpose, so that when pressed upon bythe door every inter.

stice will be closed, and the admission of water, or of any moisture be thus prevented. The body of this cylinder is to contain the great mail in its transmission from one distributing office to another.

In the accompanying drawing a, a, in Figure 1, is the cylinder, or body'of the coach, resting on two transverse pieces, or bars I), b, the middle, or bar, being hollowed out, or otherwise so formed, as to receive the under part of the cylinder, and keep it steady; the ends of these bars rest upon the strips m, m, which are supported by the through braces.

c, c, are hoops, which may be tightened by screw bolts, or by the right and left hand screws (Z, (Z, the endsof the hoops being turned up for that purpose.

6, is the door of the cylinder body, and f, the gum elastic, or other substance, placed around the edge of the opening. On the opposite sides of the door I place a hinge, g, g, Figs. 1 and 2; these hinges are attached to the cylinder by passing over staples h, r1s1ng therefrom, and capable of receiving a lock, so that the door may be opened on either side. staples to each hinge, if desired, and a bar passing through them, may be secured by a single lock. It will be seen that by this contrivance the door may be removed altogether, when necessary.

i, is a chain to prevent the door, when open, from falling too far back.

There may be two or more 7 j, is the receptacle on one of the heads of the cylinder, for the Way mail. 7:, the door, which when closed, is to be water-tight.

Z, is a seat for the driver, and m, a seat for the passengers, which may be sufiiciently long to contain three or four persons, their feet resting upon the upper part of the locker appropriated to the way mail. 11,, is a cover to the seat, made like the ordinary gig-top and capable of being raised and lowered. At the opposite end of the cylinder, there is a locker 0, intended for the passengers baggage; this is made like that for the way mail, but not large enough to hold more than a few pounds of baggage, it may, however, be made of any convenient size.

What I claim as my invention and Wish to secure by Letters Patent is- The constructing of the body of the wagon, or carriage for transporting the mail, in a cylindrical form, of wood or metal having a door opening into it as herein described; a receptacle at theend for the way mail, or baggage and the seat for passengers, combined therewith; the whole constructed, combined and arranged, substantially as herein set forth.

BASIL B. PLEASANTS.

Witnesses:

WV. THOMPSON, I; O. OALEANE. 

